Ash Road homeowner is burned in blaze

25-year-old hurt trying to douse fire at his home.

25-year-old hurt trying to douse fire at his home.

January 24, 2009|DAVE STEPHENS Tribune Staff Writer

GRANGER -- A man trying to put out a fire in his home Friday suffered second- and third-degree burns to his arms and body. A neighbor said 25-year-old Brent Futrell tried to combat the fire at his 52290 Ash Road home, but that the fire grew too quickly for him to handle. "I saw there was a lot of smoke, so that's when I came over and saw him trying to fight it," George VanOoteghem said. VanOoteghem said he called 911, then tried to treat Futrell's wounds, packing his arms and body in snow until an ambulance arrived. "I think it helped some, but he was in a lot of pain," VanOotegham said. Mike Graham, assistant fire chief for Elkhart County's Cleveland Township, said Futrell was treated by Harris Township medics, who rushed the injured man to Memorial Hospital. Graham said medics reported Futrell's injuries as second- and third-degree burns to his arms and the left side of his body. A second occupant in the house was not injured. Because of the fire's initial intensity and the home's location on the St. Joseph-Elkhart county line, companies from multiple departments -- including Baugo, Penn and Edwardsburg -- were called to the scene. Crews had the fire under control and out by 12:30 p.m., an hour after the blaze was reported. Crews fighting the fire shut down a portion of Ash Road, limiting access to Discovery Middle School, for about an hour. Graham said the cause of the fire still was under investigation, but said the fire appeared to have started near a wall and spread to the home's ceiling and roof. He estimated the single-story modular home was a complete loss.Staff writer Dave Stephens: dstephens@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6209